NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce president is voicing serious concern over delays in the redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan Resort, warning that prolonged inaction is threatening the island’s tourism sector and wider economy.
“The Chamber is quite concerned as to the amount of time it is taking to get to a point where either the developer or the government is able to communicate explicitly and directly to the public as to what the status of the deal is,” Knowles said. “It’s been about seven months since the deal was officially signed with Concord Wilshire, and it seems that there’s no progress movement on the state of the resort. We know the resort should have already been closed, but nothing has happened yet.”
Knowles emphasized the importance of the redevelopment to Grand Bahama’s tourism and economy. “We all know that the deal is very important to the tourism product on Grand Bahama and by extension the economy of Grand Bahama. With all of the Grand Cayennes out of service, that puts a serious dent in the number of rooms available for us to offer to visitors coming to the island. That has a knock-on effect with all of the ancillary businesses that support tourism on Grand Bahama.”
Addressing recent comments by Prime Minister Philip Davis acknowledging challenges between the resort’s board and management, Knowles said: “I appreciated that there were some challenges. We had a couple of months ago some comments by Concord Wilshire as to potential challenges that they were in discussions with the government over. So, I’m not surprised about the challenges. I’m just perturbed that it’s been taking so long to resolve them.”
He warned of the consequences if investors were to back out: “Obviously, none of us want to think about the investors backing out at this stage. But if there was to be such an event occur, then, you know, that that would be a significant blow to us because it would mean that we’d be starting the sale process all over again. And who knows how long that would take. And of course, as I just said, the impact of no having no rooms on that property available to the public, to the travelling public, is a serious concern for Grand Bahama’s economy.”
Knowles also highlighted the strain on employees: “And you know, and the fact that now we’re hearing persons not making payroll and especially being close to the holiday season, I can imagine that’s a big blow to families. For the employees, it is definitely a serious issue. As you know, most of us in the Bahamas live pay cheque to pay cheque…So it is definitely a concern that they haven’t been paid, I understand, for the last three weeks. And we call on everybody involved to ensure that this is remedied immediately. And I’m not absolutely sure who is paying the bill at this point, but whoever it is, they need to ensure that it’s resolved.”
“The message obviously is that we expect them to be working 24-7 to resolve whatever differences there may be so that we can get this deal closed and get on with construction,” Knowles concluded.
On Monday, Prime Minister Philip Davis pushed back against growing criticism over delays and payroll disruptions at the Grand Lucayan Resort, insisting the hotel’s redevelopment remains within the government’s stated timeline even as employees face renewed uncertainty over unpaid wages and the opposition accuses the administration of failing to deliver on key promises to Grand Bahama.
Speaking on the matter, Davis acknowledged that staff at the resort did not receive their salaries on time. “It’s unfortunate that they didn’t get their funds in time, but as far as I’m concerned the Grand Lucayan project is within the timeline we have set,” the Prime Minister said. “You don’t just revitalise a resort overnight. It takes time for planning and to get all the permits in place. That will happen. The staff will be paid.”
The Grand Lucayan, once one of Grand Bahama’s flagship tourism assets, has been the subject of repeated redevelopment efforts over the past decade. In May, the Davis administration agreed to sell the property—including the 56-acre beachfront resort and the adjacent 160-acre Reef Golf Course—for $120 million to Ancient Waters Bahamas Limited, a wholly owned Bahamian subsidiary of U.S.-based Concord Wilshire Capital (CWC). The agreement was positioned by the government as a major step toward reviving tourism, employment and economic activity on the island.
However, the optimism surrounding the deal has been tested. In an email to staff on Friday regarding payroll for the weeks of December 5th and December 12th, Deborah Gomez advised employees that salaries would again be delayed. “Unfortunately, again due to circumstances beyond our control, these payments will not be paid today,” the email stated. “We will advise soonest as to expected payment.”
Prime Minister Davis sought to contextualise the disruptions, pointing to complications between overseas ownership interests and local management. He noted that, under normal circumstances, the hotel “ought to have even closed by now” to facilitate redevelopment, but unresolved challenges have prolonged interim operations. Despite this, Davis maintained that the broader redevelopment process—including planning, approvals and financing—continues to move forward.
The situation has also sparked sharp political criticism. Opposition Leader Michael Pintard, accused the Davis administration of failing to deliver tangible results for Grand Bahama, describing the handling of the Grand Lucayan as emblematic of broader governance issues.
